LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Mexican Consulate’s Office will hold a workshop this Wednesday, August 21, that will allow people to get vital information regarding signing up for the Parole in Place Program.

The Consulate’s Office says it’s important to have these types of workshops so people don’t fall victim to scammers trying to take advantage of the situation.

Carlos Enrique Gonzalez Echevarria, with the Department of Protection, mentions the benefits of taking advantage of a workshop like this.

“Sometimes, unfortunately, people are victims of fraud or extortion. So we invite them to always keep in mind official information and to take advantage of these events so they can ask their questions to an expert and know if they qualify,” said Echevarria.

The workshop will be hosted from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Outlet Shoppes at Laredo, located at 1600 Water St.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Nearly $2 million is set to go to Laredo International Airport to make taxiways safer. Taxiways help airplanes move between hangars and runways.

In the past 19 years, more than $229 million has been used to fix and upgrade the airport. It is the first U.S. airport to have joint inspections with Mexico.

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar highlighted the airport’s importance. “This airport is very different. It’s got longer runways than San Antonio. It’s got more runways than Mexico City has, so this airport has a lot of potential. It’s number 8th in cargo in the state but I think that’s going to increase soon,” Cuellar said.

A $62 million project is also underway to build an air marine base, which aims to bring more helicopters, planes, pilots, and possibly more jobs to Laredo.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A new immigration program starting Monday, August 19, allows some immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for legal status. The Parole in Place program, announced in June, lets spouses without legal status stay in the U.S. and apply for a green card.

To qualify for the program, certain rules must be followed. Caitlin Fish of Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) said, “We’re still waiting to see how some of this is going to play out. But to be eligible for this program, you have to have been in the United States before June 17th this year, you have to have been married to a U.S. citizen before June 17th, and you cannot have any kind of disqualifying criminal history or anything like that.”

Officials say the entire process will be done online through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Monday, August 19, marks the final opportunity for candidates to secure their spot on the Laredo City Council ballot.

Today at 5 p.m. is the last day to file to run in key races in Districts 4, 5, 7, and 8.

Current candidates for each district are as follows:

• District 4:

  • Rick Garza

  • Tannya Benavidez

  • Osbaldo “Valdi” Guzman, Jr.

  • Ismael Lozano

  • Manfredo M. Salinas

  • Write-in candidate: Priscilla “La Gordiloca” Treviño

• District 5:

  • Ruben Gutierrez, Jr.

  • Jose Ovando

  • Jesse A. Perez

• District 7:

  • Vanessa Perez

  • Michelle Molina

• District 8:

  • Alyssa Cigarroa

  • Luxsandra Guerra

  • Sergio Dorantes

The City of Laredo will hold a drawing to decide the order of candidates’ names on the ballot. This will happen at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 21, at City Hall, 1110 Houston Street.

Key dates to remember:

• August 23: Last day to file for write-in candidacy

• October 21: Early voting starts

• November 1: Last day of early voting

• November 5: Election Day

For candidate forms and more information, click here

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Venezuelans in Laredo got together on Saturday afternoon to protest presidential results in their home country, which formed part of the hundreds of rallies across the United States.

Over a dozen people gathered at the San Agustin Plaza in downtown Laredo with signs, the Venezuelan flag, and their voter registration card

Protestors said opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez is the official winner.

The opposition party in Venezuela said the vote tallied in their possession shows Gonzalez won with 67% of the vote over Nicholas Maduro.

ZAPATA, Tex. (KGNS) - $20 million will go towards helping water issues in Zapata County.

The federal money will help improve the wastewater infrastructure in the county, as well as go towards dredging Falcon Lake near the water pump, with the hope that the lake will gradually fill up once again.

Officials say when the lake gets too low, especially near the water pump area, Falcon Lake can not operate properly.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A traffic stop led to the arrest of a man for possession of a controlled substance at the 3300 block of Logan Ave.

The stop happened at around 3 a.m. Friday, August 16, when officers initiated a stop of a suspicious vehicle.

According to Laredo Police, officers arrested 41-year-old Juan Gilberto Guerrero when they found two clear plastic baggies.

Police say the bags contained a white powdery substance hidden in the roof panel of the driver’s side.

Guerrero was then taken to the Webb County Jail where correctional officers say they found a clear plastic bag containing pills hidden in Guerrero’s shoes.

Guerrero was additionally charged with prohibited substances in a correctional facility.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - As the new school year begins, concerns about drugs on school campuses are at the forefront for many parents. Both United ISD and Laredo ISD are stepping up their efforts to prevent drugs from reaching students, using their K-9 units as a key part of the strategy.

Sergeant Juan Esquivel of the United ISD Police Department shared that the K-9 unit, established in 2003, has undergone significant changes this year. “This is the first year we have police officers as K-9 officers. Our goal is to provide visibility, deterrence, and at the same time, search for these narcotics,” Esquivel said.

Last school year, United ISD reported 185 arrests related to drug possession, a number they aim to reduce with the help of their two canine officers, Xanti and Hlora. Esquivel emphasized the importance of this effort, particularly in light of the growing fentanyl crisis. “As we know, the city, and it’s not just a city issue, it’s a nationwide issue—fentanyl is coming in strong, and we have these narcotic detections to try to avoid that,” he explained.

The canines are certified through the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association and are trained to detect drugs like marijuana, cocaine, meth, and heroin. “These officers train with a lot of agencies around the city. We train with Laredo PD, we train with Border Patrol, Customs, federal agencies, state agencies,” Esquivel added.

At both school districts, the focus is on the rise in vaping among students, particularly with vape pens laced with drugs. “Right now, we see a lot of vaping with this new generation, and it’s an everyday thing that we find vape pens—not only nicotine vape pens but also THC vape pens, which are marijuana-based,” said Victor Gomez, K-9 handler for Laredo ISD Police Department.

Gomez and his partner, Tara, conduct daily random searches across the district. “We do random sweeps in random schools, for example, in Cigarroa, all the way to Martin, to Memorial, all the way to Cigarroa Middle. We keep busy, so we hit probably about six, seven schools a day,” Gomez detailed.

Both Esquivel and Gomez highlighted the dedication required for K-9 handlers, noting that it’s a round-the-clock job. “Honestly, between handlers, we know it’s a beautiful world. I mean, that feeling you get when your K-9 hits on something, and you keep that drug out of the school district—it’s very unique,” Gomez expressed.

Each year, both school districts participate in a K-9 competition, which typically takes place during Police Week.

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported encountering 56,000 people trying to enter the U.S. illegally along the Southwest border in July.

This is the lowest number of Southwest border encounters in nearly four years. Officials say the big drop is due to President Biden’s policy, which temporarily stops noncitizens from crossing the border. Since the policy was announced, encounters have gone down by 55%.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent more than 92,000 people back to over 130 countries. In July, the U.S. Border Patrol also conducted 412 rescues along the border.